Jean v



UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

JEAN V.YSKOGLB ND, "or s'rooKnoLM, SWEDEN.-

METHOD OF MAKING SMOKELESS POWDERT srncrmcnrrow forming m of Letters Patent No. 542,812, dated July 16, 1895.

' Application filed January 25,1892.

To all whom it may concern; Be it known that I, J EAN VILHELM' SKOG- LUND, a subject of the King of Swedenand Norway, residing in' Stockholm, Sweden, have invented an Improvcmentin Methods of Mak in g Smokeless Powder, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This powder is especially adapted to smallarms where the projectile offers a compararo tively small resistance to the explosion.- .The

. ordinary smokeless powders for rifles sometimes hang fire and-are too'slow in ignition. The object of this invention is to manufacture a smokeless powder that is readily ignited bya light detonation under a small is sistance.

In my numerous experiments I have em; ployed a compound of picric acid or a picrate, preferably picrate of ammonia, and a ni-j 2o trate, preferably nitrate of barium, nitrated I cotton or cellulose, with or without carbon, and when compounded, ashereinafter set forth, I have-found. to answer the best purpose. The .compound is grained by means of a solvent for 2 5 the gun-cotton. If only acetone or an ether, as

acetic ether, is used for gelatinizing or dissolving the gun-cotton I have found it almost impossible to fully evaporate the. solvent, as ihe exterior of the grains becomes dry and 0 a certain portion of. the solvent remains in the "interior of-such grains. 1, however, findthat if water is added in a sufficient quantity the exterior of the grain is left sufficiently porous and the solvent is evaporated with the water 3 5 so as to perfectly dry the grain. Acetic ether dissolves or takes up but little water and not sufilcient in quantity for my purposes; but if a vehicle such as either common alcohol or wood spirit or acetone is mixed in the ether a the required quantityof water can be added.

I,find it'advantageous to make use of about ten per cent. of water; but if a less quantity of water is used the grains will be more compact, and'vice versa. The-proportions of the. different ingredients may varycousiderably.

The following I have, however,- found to producea g'oo'd powder: fifteen to twenty-five per cent. of pierate of ammonia,- se-venty to' eighty-five per cent. of nitratedcotton or eellulose, and one to three per cent. of charcoal or lampbla'ck. 'A minute quantity of fatty matter may be added, such as palmitine, when a slower burning powder is required. I, find it advantageous to compound this powder in the following manner: The difierelntingredicuts are ground and carefully mixed and soaked in the solvent; The mixture is then" subjected to pressure, grained, and dried, and the grainsmay be larger'or smaller as desired,

Instead of mixing the picrate and the ni 6o trate or only the picrate into the mass I sometimes first grain the nitrated cottonand afterward cover the grains with the materials before mentioned.

I claim' as my inventiOn- The method herein specified of insuring the proper drying of .the grains of powder cow; raining nitrated cellulose, consisting in com; bining with the solvent, water and a vehicle cellulose in the liquid and rendering the'ma- I terial porous by the presence of thewater as the solvent evaporates substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 19th day of J anuary, 1892 7 5 'J. V. SKOGLUND. Witnesses:

Gno. T. PINCKNEY, ALICE M. OLIVER.

such as alcohol and dissolving the nitrated 7o- 

